Vertical letter-file.



No. 773,275. PATENTED OCT. 25 1904. J. R. BUGKWALTER.

VERTICAL LETTER FILE.

APPLICATION FILED 13110.26, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented October 25, 1904.

PATENT OEEicE.

JOSEPH R. BUOKWALTER, OF READING, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO KOLLER AN'D SMITH, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., FIRM.

VERTICAL LETTER-FILE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 773,275, dated October 25, 1904.

Application filed December 26, 1903. Serial No. 186,599. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it kno wn that I, JOSEPH R. BUOKWALTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at 606 Spruce street, in the city of Reading, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vertical Letter-Files, of which the following is a specification.

vertical letter-files or file-cases of that description which comprise a suitable receptacle, usually in the form of a sliding drawer, of suflicient size widthwise and in' depth to accommodate a letter-size sheet of paper when arranged on edge or vertically therein and also an adjustable platen-like device or clamping-board adapted to slide back and forth within the drawer-receptacle longitudinally and to operate by a proper adjustment to confine in place in the direction of the front of the drawer whatever quantity of letters (with the usual accompanying separation-cards) may be contained therein under alphabetical or other arrangement, all as well understood by those familiar with such contrivances; and my invention or improvement relates particularly to a novel construction of or combination of devices comprising the sliding clamp or retaining platen-like device, together with the means connected therewith, for holding it in Heretofore a variety of constructions have been devised and employed for these purposes. Hence in the present state of the art the field of invention open is practically restricted to such changes in the construction as may lead to a more ready or convenient adjustment or manipulation of the movable parts and at the same time involve working parts of such simplicity as not to be liable to derangement and thalt can be manufactured as cheaply as possib e.

To provide for use a contrivance for the desired and well-known purpose which shall be exceedingly simple and durable, convenient and easy of ready manipulation by hand, and

at the same time economic of manufacture, are

the ends and objects of my present invention,

which may be said to consist in the novel con- 5 struction or combination of devices which will be found hereinafter fully described and which will be most particularly pointedout in the claim of this specification. To enable those skilled in the art to which my invention relates to manufacture and use My invention relates to what are known as a vertical letter-file made according to my improvement, I will now proceed to more fully describe the latter, referring by letters to the accompanying drawings, in which I have shown my invention carried out in the precise form in which I have so far successfully practiced it, although as to such minor details as may be changed without varying the essential features of novelty the contrivance shown of course may be changed without departing from the spirit of my invention.

In the drawings, Figure l is a longitudinal vertical section of the file-drawer, showing the guide-rod and the moving platen with its attacheddevices in elevation. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the sliding platen O with its attachments and a portion of the guiderod B detached from the file case or receptacle. Fig. 3 is a back view or elevation of the parts shown detached at Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a partial bottom view, partially in section, of the platen with its attached devices.

In the several figures the same part will be found always designated by the same letter of reference. I

A is the drawer-like receptacle of a usual form and adapted to slide usually with other similar drawers in a suitable case built for the purpose, while B is the usual guide-rod arranged lengthwise of the drawer or running from its front to the back side of the. receptacle, located to one side of the center thereof widthwise, and, as usual, slightly below the top surface of the drawer-bottom, said rod being arranged in the ordinary manner for the usual purpose.

O is the usual sliding or adjustable retaining-board or platen-like device, which may be shaped in face view as illustrated at Fig. 3, which, as usual, is slightly less in height than the depth of the drawer, is of such width as to fit and slide freely within the drawer A lengthwise, and is practically held properly in working position or from tilting down at one end by the drawer-bottom, while vertically sustained by its pivotal connection, as usual, with guide-rod B. The lower edge or bottom of this device C has securely fastened to it (by means of wood-screws m or otherwise) and within a flared cut out or recess formed therein a metallic stand or device composed, as shown, of a lower U-shaped portion a, an angular or bent part f, and an upwardlyextending oblique leg-like portion D, which latter at its upper end is securely fastened to the back side of the platen C, preferably by means of the wood-screw t, as shown in the drawings. The vertically-arranged portions of the lower part0 of this metallic stand are perforated for the accommodation of the guide-rod B, on which said stand thus perforated is adapted to freely slide, while in the lowermost horizontal part of the portion a there is arectangular or oblong aperture to accommodate thedownwardl y-projectin g tongue g of the lever G and permit a free movement of said tongue g forward and back within said aperture in a manner and for a purpose presently explained, while between the rearmost surface of the lower portion of said lever G and the inner surface of the rearmost vertical part of the portion 0 of said metallic stand there is arranged, coiled around about the guide-rod B, a spiral spring I, and at a point somewhat above the location of said guide-rod the forward surface of the lower portion of lever Gcontacts with the extreme upper and rearmost end of the angular or oblique part 7 of said metallic stand, as clearly shown best at Figs. 1, 2, and 3, in a manner such that this end or rearmost edge of the bent part f of the metallic stand constitutes the fulcrum on which lever G works or moves. It will be understood that the perforation in the lower portion of this lever (Jr, through which passes the guide-rod B, is slightly greater in diameter vertically than the diameter of said sliding rod in order that when said lever is in a substantially vertical position the sliding rod can move within its aperture with perfect freedom, while when said lever is in the oblique position shown in the drawings the perforated end of the lever will cramp the solid rod B, so as to prevent any movementrelatively of said rod and said lever, and thus (inasmuch as the rod is stationary) lock the sliding metallic device which supports or carries the platen C to said sliding rod and prevent any movement backwardly of said platen Q.

As will be observed by a reference specially to Fig. 3, the lever Ur is of a bent form, so that the lower portion thereof is located in front of the angular leg-like part .D of the metallic standard before mentioned, while its upper end portion is located to one side of said standard in order to be accessible to the finger of the person manipulating the platen when his hand, as usual, is placed within the central cut-out portion C of the platen-like device.

From the foregoing explanations as to the detail, structure, and combined arrangel'nents of the several parts shown in the drawings, together with a visual inspection of the latter, the operation of the improved structure made the subject of my application will be readily understood to be as follows that is to say, whenever it may be desired to move the platen or card and letter holding device C forwardly to clamp and hold in place whatever quantity of letters may be placed within the drawer A such movement is freely permissible; but when the platen shall have been moved into the letter holding or retaining position or as far forwardly as may be desired it is there securel y locked in position or is prevented from making any retrograde movement by reason of the locking-lever G, the lower apcrtured end of which is normally forced into the locking or rod-clamping position by the action of the spiral spring 1. When, however, it may be desired for any purpose to move the platen rearwardly of the drawer receptacle, this movement can be readily efi'ectuated by taking hold of the platen in the usual way and at the same time with the finger pressing forwardly the upper end of the locking-lever (:lr, which when vibrated or turned on its fulcral point f, before described, has its lowermost perforated end caused to compress the spiral spring I and assume such a position (about vertical) relatively to the sliding rod B as to permit a perfect freedom of the relative movement between the rod and said perforated lever or otherwise to permit a perfectly free movement rearwardly of the platen C. Now it will be seen that by the very simple mechanism shown and described the platen U is rendered easily capable of manipulation by hand backwardlyor forwardly within the filecase or receptacle A at pleasure and is securely locked in any position to which it may be adjusted therein for the usual purpose, and it will also be seen that while the working parts by which this end is accomplished are perfectly effective in operation, simple in construction, durable, and not liable to derangement the whole working mechanism or metallic parts of the adjustable platen device is unusually economic of manufacture.

Having now so fully described the construction and operation of my improved contrivance that any one skilled in the art can make and use the same, what I. claim therein as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In a vertical letter-file, the combination with the usual receptacle; and the usual guide-rod; of the wooden platen-like device (J; the metallic stand, having a lower horizontal part perforated for the tongue or tenoned lower end of a clamping-lever, formed with vertical perforated portions for the accommodation of the guide-rod, having the shorter upwardly and rearwardly bent portion for attachment to the lower end of the platen and to provide a fulcrum for the clamping-rod, and also a longer upwardly-extending, oblique leg-like portion for attachment at its upper end to the rearmost surface of the platen; a clamping-lever, perforated for the accommodation of the slide-rod, fulcrumed on a portion of the said metallic standarchas described, and having its lowermost end operative in an aperture of said metallic stand; and an extensible spring, located between the rearmost 

